Project Catch Up Time

I've been quite bad at posting lately, but in my defense, I have been very busy.

In my last post, I shared some sneak peeks of a secret sewing project that I was quilting. It's all done and I can now share it.

Ancient Words - a Rachel Rossi design

I think this is such a unique quilt and was thrilled when I saw the invite to test the pattern. As with most of her patterns, Rachel has provided multiple size options with the pattern; but based on my schedule, I knew that making the baby size was the best choice for me.  

There are a multitude of different layout options with this quilt and I played quite a while before deciding on this one. 

There are special templates used to make this quilt and they are wonderful!

The Shorthand Templates are available in Rachel's shop. (There is a free pattern to go along with the templates and I think it's really neat!)

I love taking photos from a side angle! I think it often shows the quilting so much better, as well as the overall design.

While taking these pictures, my granddaughter thought that the top right looks like a turtle. I didn't see it until after I pulled up the pictures on the computer. 

The quilting design was pretty simple and straight forward. 

Another pattern tester used the templates to create her quilting design and as much as I tried, I couldn't come up with anything that I liked better. :-) This isn't the greatest pictures, but I think you can see the quilting pretty well. 

I wasn't sure about my fabric choices during the early stages of constructing this quilt. I was worried that there wasn't enough contrast, but I stayed with it and am glad I did. 

During the time I worried about my fabric choices, I decided that I needed a Plan B, just in case the original fabrics didn't work. I played with some fabric scraps that I had from making a t-shirt quilt and liked how they looked, so I made a bunch more. (After making a few more of the original blocks, I decided that the fabrics would be ok, so I stuck with those for the test.) I have a nice pile of Plan B blocks waiting to be put together. :-)

While I was making the Plan B blocks, I got to thinking that it would look really cool to add a small flange to the inside of the blocks. 

I really liked the result so after I finished the original quilt, I started making these as a leader/ender project. (Yes, the blocks without the flange got set aside, but I will do something with them soon.)

Using all the fabric I had left, I was able to make a decent size wall hanging with the flanged blocks. It's already quilted; and I've machine stitched the binding down and am ready to flip it to the back and stitch it down. I'll take pictures when that's done and share them here. :-) 

Sunday Quilting

We've had a busy couple of weeks and this week will be more of the same. I decided that I just needed to sit down, put the walking foot on the machine, and do some simple quilting.  

AHHHHHH! This is so relaxing...

I can't show you the whole quilt because this is a secret sewing project.

This is a terrible picture of the backing - I just can't get the color to show up properly.

Here's a bigger picture of the quilting design.

Besides the backing, these are the only two fabrics in the quilt. 

I'm thinking the binding will be the multi-colored fabric, but I won't decide that until I'm done quilting.

The Christmas in July Blog Hop is over, but there's still time to check out all the great projects and enter the giveaway. 

Hop on over HERE for your chance to win some beautiful fabric.

The giveaway is over 

That was so much fun! Thanks again, Sarah.  

For the hop, I made a simple quilt that my husband dubbed "Log Cabin Ground Floor" using Jingle Pops by Hoffman.   

I liked everything about this quilt - from the fact that it was made with pre-cut 2 1/2" strips, to the ease of construction. It really was simple and quick and I decided that I wanted to make a second version using a Roll-Up I had called Sunshine Garden by Darlene Zimmerman for Robert Kaufman. 

Isn't this pretty? I've had this package for quite some time, just like the Christmas fabric, and I decided it was time to use it.

I also decided that I wanted to make this version without the optional border, which means that it will finish approximately 58" x 66". I have to admit that my decision was made mostly because this is an older line of fabric and I don't have anything in my stash that would work for a border.  :-) 

Can you tell that I like taking pictures of quilts from the side.  lol 

Here's another view. See, the side view is so much better! I have not quilted this yet, so it looks a little wonky, but it really isn't. 

I love these fabrics! They are so fresh looking. When my husband saw this quilt, he decided that it needed another name. He thinks it looks like a secret garden, so that's the name - Secret Garden. I like it! 

It's difficult to see in the pictures, but my block centers and sashing are a light green color, not white. I used Hoffman Fabrics' 1895 Hand Dyed #522 Sea Grass, and I think it works perfectly. 

I'll most likely quilt this with a light green thread too. Speaking of quilting, I hope to get this one done soon and plan to quilt it with some sort of flower motif.  

Whew! It sure does feel good to use some of my pre-cut stash!

Christmas in July Blog Hop

It's the last day of the Christmas in July Blog Hop and that means it's my day to post! 



I'm sharing today with Christina, so be sure to check out her post 
Christina @ Christina's Handicrafts

Thanks to Sarah over a Confessions of a Fabric Addict for organizing this hop. It's been really fun and my mind is swirling with ideas for Christmas gifts to make.  :-)

 Here's the entire line-up, in case you're like me and missed some earlier days.

SUNDAY, JULY 14TH

Jamie @ L’Fair Quilts

Sharon @ Vrooman’s Quilts

MONDAY, JULY 15TH

Amy @ Sea of Estrogen

Meloney @ Mel’s Quilting Blog

TUESDAY, JULY 16TH

Joy @ Days Filled With Joy

Jan @ The Colorful Fabriholic

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17TH

Brandy @ Pampered Pettit

Vicki @ Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

THURSDAY, JULY 18TH

Kathy @ Kathy’s Kwilts and More

Selina @ Selina Quilts

FRIDAY, JULY 19TH

Moira @ The Quilted Snail

SATURDAY, JULY 20TH

Jennifer @ The Inquiring Quilter

Anja @ Anja Quilts

SUNDAY, JULY 21ST

Tracie @ Riceford Streams

Sharon @ Vrooman's Quilts

MONDAY, JULY 22ND

Katie @ Katie Mae Quilts

Susan @ QuiltFabrication

TUESDAY, JULY 23RD

Mary @ Made by Marney

Selina @ Selina Quilts

WEDNESDAY, JULY 24TH

Carole @ From My Carolina Home

Karrin @ Karrin’s Crazy World

THURSDAY, JULY 25TH

Christina @ Christina’s Handicrafts

Joanne @ Everyone Deserves a Quilt

Be sure to read all the way through 
to the end to find out about 
an awesome giveaway!

Like so many quilters I know, I've bought my fair share of pre-cuts because I thought they were really pretty and I just knew that I would use them right away. Well, as I'm sure many of you can understand, those pre-cuts end up sitting on a shelf or in a drawer/tub/bin, etc. for a very long time before they get rediscovered. 

When this hop came along, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I decided to pull one of those fabulous Christmas pre-cut 2 1/2" strip packages that I've been holding on to - Jingle Pops, by Hoffman. (Yep! This is a really bad pictures; but by the time I realized how bad it was, I had already opened it and started cutting the strips.)

I've been playing around with some very basic blocks lately, included a variety of log cabins. I wanted to make a scrappy log cabin version, but one that had some sense of order other than just light and dark sides. I knew that making a larger block would get too "messy" for what I had in mind, so I decided to make a small block by sewing just one rotation around a consistent center. 

I like the resulting 6" (6 1/2" unfinished) block and the fact that I could make quite a few blocks from a pre-cut 2 1/2" strip package. WooHoo! 

I decided to go very basic with the layout and when I asked my husband to name the quilt, which he normally does, he called it Log Cabin Ground Floor. (Can you tell that he was an engineer?)

I laid out my blocks in a 7 x 8 layout with 2" (finished) sashing. I added a 4" border so my quilt finished 66" x 74." Without the border, the quilt will measure 58" x 66."  

Here's a quick tutorial on how to make the block and quilt. (I say quick, but that's not really true because I have a ton of pictures.) 

Fabric Requirements:

1 package of 2 1/2" x WOF strips 

          (I used 28 strips for my quilt, but you can use more to make a larger quilt, have a greater 

           variety of fabrics, or make a scrappy binding)

2 1/8 yards block centers and sashing fabric

1 1/4 yards optional 4" border

Cutting:

1) Pick 28 pre-cut 2 1/2" x WOF strips

2) From each strip, cut:

     4 - 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares (cornerstones and log #1)

     4 - 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles (logs #2 and #3)

     2 - 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangles (log #4)

3) From the block center/sashing fabric, cut:

    27 - 2 1/2" x WOF strips, set aside three strips for the top and bottom borders

4) From the remaining 24 strips, cut:

     56 - 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares (block centers)

     99 - 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangles (sashing)

     14 - 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangles (sashing)

Block Construction:

1) With right sides together, sew 56 block centers to 56 - randomly selected 

    2 1/2" log #1. 

This step goes very quickly if you chain piece the blocks!

Press to log #1, away from the center.

2) With right sides together and being careful of the orientation, sew log #2 to the top of the step 1 unit. 

Because the seam allowance is pointing down, you can sew with the log#2 on top and not worry about flipping the seam allowance over and creating bulkiness. 

Press to log #2

This unit should measure 4 1/2" square.

3) With right sides together, sew log #3 to the left side of the step 2 unit. Again, be careful of the orientation.

Press to log #3. (In order to make pressing easier, the block is rotated to the right in the picture below.)

4) With right sides together, sew log #4 to the bottom of the step 3 unit.

Press to log #4. (Again, the block is rotated to make pressing easier.)

The block should now measure 6 1/2" 

Make 56 blocks (or more if you want a larger quilt).

Quilt Layout

1) Randomly lay out blocks, with sashing and cornerstones. 

    (Here's a mini version of the layout.)

2) You can sew the blocks and vertical sashing into a row and them sew the horizontal sashing and cornerstones into another row and the sew the rows together; 

OR 

You can sew the sashing and cornerstones to the blocks to create bigger blocks that can be sewn together. That's what I did.

Basically, you'll be sewing three different blocks, which will then be sewn together. 

To Make the Left Side Blocks:

1) Sew a 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangle to both sides of the farthest left block of each row. Press to the sashing.

2) Sew a cornerstone to a 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangle. Press to the sashing. Sew that to the bottom of the above units, except the bottom row. You should have 8 left side blocks - 7 that are complete and 1 that does not have the bottom sashing and cornerstones.

To Make the Right Blocks:

1) Sew a 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangle to the right side of the farthest right block of each row. Press to the sashing.

2) Sew a 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangle to the bottom of the above units, except the bottom row. You should have 8 right side blocks - 7 that have sashing on the right and bottom and 1 that just has sashing on the right side.

To Make the Center Blocks:

1) Sew a 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" sashing to the right side of all the center blocks - 40 total.

2) Set aside the 5 blocks that make up the bottom row. To the remaining 35, sew a 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" rectangle to a cornerstone and press to the sashing. Sew this to the above unit.

Quilt Top Construction

1) Sew the blocks together, in rows and press all rows in one directions.

2) Sew the 3 - 2 1/2" x WOF sashing strips that were set aside earlier into one long strip. 

3) Measure the quilt top from side to side and cut two strips that measurement. Sew these strips to the top and bottom of the quilt top.

4) Cut and sew the optional 4" border to the sides first and then top and bottom of the quilt top. Press to the borders.

I used a directional fabric for my border, so I had to be careful when cutting and sewing. This did require extra fabric.

Quilt as desired. I used a poinsettia pantograph to quilt this, and I'm very happy with the results.

Although I had every intention of doing so, I did not use my extra pre-cut strips for a scrappy binding. I decided I liked the look of a solid black instead. The good news is that I now have 12 strips of this beautiful fabric to make something else.  :-)

I like this quilt so much that I made a second one. 

Check back tomorrow for my Springtime version. 

As I said earlier, Sarah is have a giveaway. 

The giveaway has ended

Figo Fabrics is sponsoring a really nice giveaway bundle of Wintertide.  This is so pretty!     

Complete and submit the following for your choice to win.